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ALPERN AT LARGE - Did you know that Donald J. Trump can be a real a-- hole?
Of course you know, and many of those of us who voted for him, and many of those of us voted against him, know that all too well.
So why on earth did he get re-elected?
Certainly there are competing narratives as to what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen, in our United States of America.
The definitions of conservative versus liberal, rational versus emotional, principled versus progressive, and uniting versus dividing are wildly different amongst us, and the concept or paradigm of these definitions being “correct” versus “mistaken” can come across as intolerably smarmy to some and downright hurtful to others.
“You’re wrong and I’m right,” is just too awful for many of us (and I do mean “us”, becomes that phrase comes from all over) to stomach, witness, or even say.
But…did you know that Donald J. Trump can be a real a-- hole?
Of course we all know that, and to those thrilled he won the election, and to those livid that he won, that’s a tough concept to wrap our brains around.
There are many I know, respect and love who voted for former President Trump, and many others I know, respect and love who voted for Vice President Harris.
There’s NO room for gloating, and NO room for schadenfreude (defined as pleasure or satisfaction at witnessing another person’s misfortune) when the election was this close.
There’s certainly a sense of closure (not smugness) in that more women, black, Latino, and Jewish voters pulled the lever for a Republican than ever before.
There’s certainly a sense of closure (not smugness) in that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz did quite a bit in a very short campaign, and with little preparation.
But the closure in that the winner of the 2024 presidential election had not only a high number of electoral votes, as well as the majority of voters from throughout the nation, is a relief (elated or miserable that many of us are to learn that).
As well does the closure that those of us who went to bed around midnight (Pacific Standard Time) pretty much knew who won the election is also a relief, as satisfying or bitter that knowledge is for so many of us.
And the knowledge that the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained an explosive 1500 points the day after the election does raise a host of questions as to our economic and fiscal future…and if one focuses on one’s ability to make money there might be a hope that better times await.
But there are so many reasons to support the conclusion that Donald J. Trump, or Kamala D. Harris, or any of their followers, have no clue as to do right financially by the American People, and that therefore both optimism and anxiety await for us all.
And did you know that Donald J. Trump can be a real a-- hole?
So why did he get elected?
Some will never forgive him for the events of January 6, 2021, while others will never forgive Kamala Harris for raising bail money for many who tore down the streets and cities of our nation after the death of George Floyd…
…and on a related note, there will be many of us who conflate the two events, while others furiously demand they not be compared whatsoever.
And virtually everyone would love to chloroform Donald J. Trump into unconsciousness whenever garbage and mistruths spew out of his orange mouth.
And so many of us wanted Kamala Harris to start explaining policy that she would enact after four years of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Both were incumbents, with four years of an economic, political, and military record in office when the final primaries were finished. Both are accused of being vague as to what they did wrong, and what they would do right, if elected.
To the losers of the presidential election, there’s lot to consider:
1) It was probably a very bad idea to promote “joy” when inflation and the inability to stay within budget for food and utilities was on the minds of so many.
2) It was probably a very bad idea to promote “Bidenomics” when there was so much buyer’s remorse from voters who voted for Joe Biden in 2020.
3) It was probably a very bad idea to ignore the complaints, concerns, and fury of those who felt that Joe Biden was too old, demented, infirm, and incompetent to reliably run the nation, and with the credibility of Kamala D. Harris therefore in question, because until Biden’s infamously lousy debate performance it was pronounced he was just fine.
But still…did you know that Donald J. Trump can be a real a-- hole?
Which points out the biggest losers of 2024, as so many of us remain aghast that he will actually freakin’ return to the White House after four years of blowhardship, verbal diarrhea, and gaslighting:
1) The Legacy Media: Donald J. Trump lost hugely (YUGELY?) to Kamala D. Harris during their one debate, with her overperforming and him underperforming—yet the fury of conservatives and independents at the two so-called moderators allowed Trump a bit of a draw rather than full-throated loss.
2) The Pollsters: We all want to read the tea-leaves and predict the future, but so many were self-serving we didn’t really know what the heck to believe.
3) Those Who Think That Any Person Can Become President, because others will make the decisions for them: if the Democratic Party wanted a female with both experience and above-average smarts, the “revenge” against Donald J. Trump should have been Hillary D.R. Clinton, and without ethnic considerations.
So for those who “won”, you’ve gotta prove yourselves, and you’ve got to convince the independents you’re correct.
So for those who “lost”, you’ve gotta fight fiercely whenever you can, and you’ve got convince the independents you’re correct.
Because we just don’t know what’s going to happen starting January 2025.
And oh, by the way:
Did you know that Donald J. Trump can be a real a-- hole?
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
